Alcohol Abstainers May Have More Depression

It sounds incredible. Not drinking alcohol might mean you’re more likely to experience depression. (If you’re a teen reading this, don’t even think of using this as an excuse, please!)

The study by researchers in Norway is published in Addiction. You can read the report and abstract online. For the study, researchers analyzed data on drinking habits and mental health reported by 38,000 people.

Researchers concluded that the risk of depression is elevated in individuals with low alcohol consumption compared to those with moderate consumption. Self-reported abstainers were shown to be at particularly increased risk of depression.

The increased risk of depression is only partially explained by other factors like physical health problems, having been a previous heavy drinker and number of close friends. The risk factors for depression in study participants don’t account for all of the increased risk seen among total alcohol abstainers. The authors believe that in societies where some drinking is the norm, abstinence might make some people feel socially isolated, possibly explaining for some of the increased risk.

However, researchers also noted that drinking more than the recommended limit can and does result in physical problems, injuries and death.

What do you think of the study results? Personally, I don’t drink and don’t feel depressed either.

(Image via stock.xchng)